Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons on record, slammed into the city of Tacloban, seen here Saturday, in the central Philippines.

Written by

Sunshine de Leon, Doyle Rice and Katharine Lackey
| USA Today

The death toll from one of the strongest storms on record that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said Sunday after the extent of massive devastation became apparent and horrified residents spoke of storm surges as high as trees.

Regional police chief Elmer Soria said he was briefed by Leyte provincial Gov. Dominic Petilla late Saturday and told there were about 10,000 deaths in the province, mostly by drowning and from collapsed buildings. The governor's figure was based on reports from village officials in areas where Typhoon Haiyan ...